Computerized database services, such as business database archiving and business database archive management are known. For example, a commercially available system that includes such computerized database services is currently sold by IBM Corporation under the following name: IBM InfoSphere Optim Enterprise Edition V9.1 and Workgroup Edition V9.1 offer simplified packaging with capacity-based pricing. This package of software and/or services has been described as follows: “InfoSphere® Optim™ Enterprise Edition V9.1 and Workgroup Edition V9.1 offer simplified packaging with capacity-based pricing for Optim's Archive, Test Data Management, and Data Privacy capabilities.” At least some database services systems can manage data from requirements to retirement to promote business driven governance. Preferably, database services: (i) reduce risk and costs, (ii) speed solution delivery, (iii) boost performance and (iv) address compliance requirements for databases, warehouses and big data environments. Data lifecycle management is the process of managing business information throughout its lifecycle, from requirements through retirement. Data lifecycle management spans different application systems, databases and storage media and can be implemented as part of an overall information integration and governance strategy. By managing data properly over its lifetime, using database services, organizations can be better equipped support business goals with less risk.
It is further known that such computerized database services may require pre-payment for the services from the customer (generally a business, often a large business) to the database service provider. It is further known that such pre-payment can be based upon pre-paid “tokens” (also herein sometimes called RVUs) where each token represent a unit of pre-payment for some type of service or aspect of the database service. For example, it is known that a token may represent a pre-paid volume of data flow, with the data flow being measured at the time the data flows from the computer system of the business customer to the computer system of the database services provider. Herein, this sort of pre-payment plan will be called a pre-payment plan based upon “volumetric data flow.” It is further known that a pre-payment plan may be more specifically based upon uncompressed volumetric data flow.